Unit Components

School District: Lennox
Unit of Study Title: Locating House Styles in your Community
Grade Level: 9-12
Time Frame: 3 Days
Key Words: House Designs, House Styles, Floor Plans, Elevations

Unit Designer Name: Chris Steiner (CS008)
Unit Designer E-mail: Chris.Steiner@k12.sd.us

Topic Areas: Trade and Industrial Education

Brief Summary of Unit:
Students will identify different styles of houses in the town of Lennox chosen by the instructor. They will use one (1) GPS for two (2) students. All waypoints will be uploaded to each GPS and students will located each point to determine the style of that house. Upon arrival of each waypoint, students will take a digital picture of the house (to make sure it is the right location) and use it for ArcView GIS or PowerPoint presentations. Completing the outside activity, students will download the GPS information to their computer using OziExplorer. They will export this information into ArcView GIS to show the waypoints and the route they traveled.

Technology: Global Positioning System

Desired Results

What enduring understandings are desired? Students will understand that...
The student will understand how a GPS unit can assist in the location of museums, parks, landmarks or housing.
The student will understand how these house styles impact a community.

What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?
Compare and contrast the differences of the housing styles from the 1800's to the present (i.e. floor plan design, location and whether or not the house is on the preservation list).
How can the GPS unit assist the student's research of a particular house design?

Link to Standards #1
Content Area: History
Source: DECA Site
Goal (SD Content Standards):
The students will be able to use GPS units to discover significant landmarks / floor plans.
The students will be able to identify the landmark's significance to the community.

Indicator:
Analyze the chronology of various historical eras to determine connections and cause/effect relationships

Benchmark(s):
Describe various characteristics which distinguish specific time periods/eras within and across cultures.
Describe the landmark's historical situations and conditions in relation to specific chronological reference points.
Describe important factors which led to multiple/various landmark historical cause/effect relationships.

Standards: (South Dakota Grade level standards are preceded with an *)
The students will know be able to use GPS units to discover significant landmarks / floor plans.
The students will know be able to identify the landmark's significance to the community.
The students will know be able to understand the importance of a landmark within the community.

Link to Standards #2
Content Area: Reading
Source: DECA Site
Goal (SD Content Standards):
Students will read at increasing levels of complexity for a variety of purposes.

Indicator:
Students will use various reading cues/strategies to comprehend text, e.g., context, semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cues.

Benchmark(s):
use various cues/strategies to connect with text, predict message of text, and validate understanding of text.
analyze when a specific cue or strategy can be used most effectively to read for comprehension or to interpret specific materials.
use prior knowledge and experience to interpret, evaluate, and construct meaning from various texts.

Standards: (South Dakota Grade level standards are preceded with an *)
The students will know be able to use GPS units to discover significant landmarks / floor plans.
The students will know be able to identify the landmark's significance to the community.
The students will know be able to understand the importance of a landmark within the community.

Evidence of Understanding

Performance Task Vignette(s):
G What is the Goal in the scenario students will strive for?
Your task is to be a building contractor, architect, engineer, etc.
The goal is to locate certain house types.
The problem or challenge is to operate a GPS device.
The obstacle to overcome is getting accurate information off the GPS device.

R What is the Role students will assume?
You are the building contractor, architect, engineer, etc.
You have been asked to identify certain styles of houses.
Your job is to provide accurate information on those houses.

A Who is the audience students will perform or work for?
Your client is other building contractors, architects, engineers, etc.
The target audience is other building contractors, architects, engineers, etc interested in different house styles.
You need to convince other building contractors, architects, and engineers on your findings.

S What is the Situation (context) in which students will work?
The context you find yourself in is that of a building contractor, architect, engineer, etc.
The challenge involves dealing with GPS devices.

P What is the Performance challenge for students?
You will create a record of the location of the certain house styles.
You need to create a timeline of that house style so that there is relevant information as to the location and named style.

S By what Standards will student work be judged in the scenario?
Your performance needs to be accurate
Your work will be judged by building contractors, architects, engineers, etc. (teachers included)
Your product must meet the following guidelines of accuracy, interest and information related to the house style.
A successful result will allow officials to be able to use the information for other research projects.

Other Evidence: Quizzes, Tests, Academic Prompts and Work Samples:
The student will use peer review to provide accountability in the accuracy of the information.
The student will demonstrate the proper use of the GPS device by showing the data retrieved on the device.
The student will be quizzed on the accuracy of the house style information.

Unprompted Evidence:
The student will account for daily progress on the location of the house styles.
The student will orally share with the class some of the frustrations or progress in using the GPS device.
The student will share with the class some ideas on other uses of a GPS device.

Self Assessment / Peer Assessment:
The student will have a partner with another student and they will be accountable for accuracy of location and information.
The student will hold another student accountable by asking periodic questions on the functions of the GPS unit and the house style information.

Learning Experiences and Instruction

Learning Activities:
W How will you help students know where they are headed and why? The student will know where they are headed by finding a house style and providing correct information in regard to that house style.

H How will you hook students through engaging and thought-provoking experiences? By showing the information a GPS can provide in the location of prominent house style.

E How will you equip students to explore the issues and experience the ideas? The equipping will be in the use of the technological age (GPS devices) to spark interest in locating house style.
What events, real or simulated, can students experience to make the ideas and issues real? Have the students role play what life was like at the building of that house style.
What learning activities will help students to explore the big ideas? Have them come up with a timeline of certain house style(s).
What instruction is needed to equip students for the final performance? The use of GPS devices and the process of providing a timeline for that house style(s).

R How will you cause students to reflect and rethink to dig deeper into the core ideas? Have them research in a museum or provide floor plans of the past and present.
How will you guide students in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work?

E How will students exhibit their understanding about their final performances and products? Students will show the waypoints of a landmark via computer and report on the significance of the house style through oral presentation.
How will you guide them in self-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses in their work and set in future goals? Accuracy of the landmark location if crucial since the student must be able to work a GPS unit proficiently.

T How will work be tailored to meet individual student needs, interests and learning styles? The GPS unit is difficult to operate for many students, but if the scope of learning the unit is introduction level the student should have little difficulty marking a house style. By providing simple demonstration and progressing to more difficult searches using GPS, most students will find the units interesting and fun.

O How will the instruction and learning activities be organized for maximal engagement and effectiveness? Each student will need to demonstrate proficiency of a GPS unit as a part of their evaluation.

Learning Sequence:
GPS units will be demonstrated outside by mapping and marking waypoints of the school grounds.
The students will then team up to assist each other in the proper functions of a GPS unit.
Students will then practice hiding items around the school grounds for optimal challenge for other students (perhaps by providing rewards in each cache).
Students will then identify certain house styles given by the teacher using GPS units.

Resources, Credits, and Additional Comments

Web Based Resources:
http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/

http://www.geocaching.com

http://www.magellangps.com/

http://www.gisdata.com

http://www.usgs.gov

www.state.sd.us/deca/ddn4learning/statewide/gps

http://www.gis.siouxfalls.org

www.esri.com

www.geocaching.com

www.trimble.com

www.oziexplorer.com

http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-styles_index.htm

http://promise.ecol.net/realestate/gloss_hs.htm

http://users.rcn.com/scndempr/dave/school.html

http://users.rcn.com/scndempr/dave/school.html

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~twp/architecture/

Publications and Print Resources:

Credits:
DDN site
James P. Wilson (Housing guru of home styles)

Unit Designer Comments:

Files Related to this Unit of Study

The following files have been attached to this Unit of Study:

If you are the author of this unit, you may edit or remove this unit by clicking the appropriate button below.

Return to the main page.

DDN Curriculum Disclaimer.